OT: wondering why

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that you said that. I was just reporting an interesting article.

Incidentally, I do agree she tries where others don't even attempt to do anything good.

Lucille

That's how I feel about her - it's surprising really that they haven't laid some charges against her for something - a la Martha Stewart - big businessmen seem to hate uppity women types who make billions lol

They have gone after her--remember the big lawsuit over the beef comments? I'm sure there have been others as well, though I seem to recall she has said that one of her goals in taking that case to court was to fight and prevail so that others might think a little harder before suing her over something else (i.e., lower the expectation that she'd just fork out money to settle).

Best wishes, Ericka

But to be honest, how many of us have our own little ruts for what we like to read and don't really branch out all that much. I may have quite a few genres I like to read, but there are also a number of genres that I typically avoid (including many of the books that Oprah apparently likes). I have my preferences and they're working for me so I don't have a lot of motivation to change how I do things ;-) If those who share Oprah's tastes find that it's working for them to allow her to populate their bookshelves, well, I suppose I ought not throw stones. When you figure how few people read any books at all for pleasure, I figure if there are lots of folks who just read what Oprah recommends, they're still reading a heck of a lot more than the average person and I have to count that a good thing.

Best wishes, Ericka

I think this is exacerbated because books in genres and on subjects that boys tend to like are particularly in short supply at earlier reading levels, especially in many school libraries. When they become more advanced readers there are certainly plenty of books to choose from, but if they're not bitten by the bug earlier, it can be hard to get them to enjoy reading. There are early and intermediate reader books out the wazoo for girls, but it's more challenging for some boys. The young boys I know who read the most are those who don't mind reading things that are a little on the "girly" side.

Best wishes, Ericka

I remember that now ! Lot of years ago I think lol She was probably pretty smart to do that, I seem to recall the beef industry was practically begging her to be nice to them by the time it was through.

"Cheryl Isaak"

I work in a bookstore now. What you say about some Oprah readers applies to lots of other readers who don't do Oprah. There are people who only read from a fixed list of authors, or only true crime, or pick up whatever was talked about on the local phone-in show. Some people regularly check the bestseller list of whatever magazine, and want what is there. Or only read what's nominated for the Giller. I think most of us have our preferences for genre, and lots of us rely on word of mouth from friends whose taste we trust. So, I don't mind that some people rely on Oprah--it got some of them to Anna Karenina last summer.

Dawne

Oh yah! We found every possible age appropriate book on hockey at one point and few that were stretching it C

It is a pretty big town and my friend that lives in Nashua had the same compliant. Had to read Oprah books....

I read two toward the middle of the list (ok, started two, didn't make the

Cheryl

Doesn't it some how scare you that Oprah has such a hold on these women that they don't seem able to disagree and say that book didn't hold true to me... C

I like people to think for themselves. Reading it because Oprah told me to and not getting anything from it but what she tells you is there

Every so often I ask the head librarian for a recommendation outside my "comfort zone" with the caveat of no horror (my imagination is way too vivid). That is how I tried Binchy, Jason Fforde (which lead to Katy Fforde, both funny writers) Kushiel's Dart (highly recommended, but with reservations), Randy Wayne White, Deb Maccomber and William Tappley.

But what happened to the Hardy Boys and Tom Swift and other "boy" early chapter books? Too manly and therefore we won't let boys read them

It is a pretty big town that is in no way representative of the population of the US. Nor is Nashua. I'm with Sheena on this one - if it gets people to read at all, that is a good thing.

Most of my students don't read and I can tell, because they can't write. People who read a lot tend to pick up certain basics of good style, while people who don't read, lack that. If they're only reading what's on Oprah's list, I'd be ecstatic. But if it turns them on to reading in general, they're gonna run out of things to read if they stick to her list.

Elizabeth

Maybe it did hold true to them. Maybe they read different books than you did. Maybe they didn't know if it held true or not.... The characters in _Mother of Pearl_ led lives that are so far outside of my experience that I couldn't say if it held true or not. Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book. _Night_ was completely beyond my comprehension when I read it, but I can't say that Elie Wiesel's experience doesn't hold true or that it wasn't a good book. I can only say that I hated it.

But I would never make a single statement about the different books on that list - they're too different one from another. About the only thing they have in common is that they're more likely to be shelved under "literature" than under "fiction" in your local bookstore.

Elizabeth

Wow. Is that what happened? I read the Hardy Boys and loved them. Didn't care for Tom Swift.

Elizabeth

We won't? I hadn't noticed any lack of availability of those books. What I have noticed, however, is that most of my sons' friends didn't particularly enjoy them. I don't know if they felt they were too dated or what, but they didn't seem to be as appealing to current crops of boys.

Best wishes, Ericka

If in fact there is this large group of people who read only the books on Oprah's list, then we're talking about a group of people whose commitment is to reading a fairly limited number of books and they are naturally loathe to pick up something not recommended by a trusted source.

But you clearly have a much more voracious reading habit that most other folks (and even then you asked someone whom you apparently trust to make a recommendation). A fairly recent NEA study found that 43 percent of Americans had not read a single book in the last year. Not one. So, not only are a whole lot of folks reading nothing at all, but a bunch of them don't have friends to recommend books either. And to be perfectly honest, while I don't particularly share Oprah's taste in books, people could do a lot worse than to read the books she recommends. Of that 57 percent who did read a book in the previous year, women read an average of nine books during the year. Betcha a whole bunch of those were reading absolute tripe for books (not that I'm totally against the occasional indulgence). At least those who committed to reading the books recommended by Oprah are reading something substantive.

Best wishes, Ericka

The Hardy Boys series is in print==likely updated.

Dawne